


Coming Home

by WritingPains



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Feels, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Avengers, BAMF Tony Stark, Civil War Fix-It, Endgame, One Shot, Reunions, Short One Shot, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 05:09:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingPains/pseuds/WritingPains
Summary: The Benatar lands on the lawn of the compound, and who else spills out but Tony Stark and Nebula.





	Coming Home

Tony Stark, a genius in all senses of the word, can’t figure out what he’s supposed to do from here. The space ship, the Benatar Nebula had said, has been hurtling through space for a while now. They’d tried everything they could think of. Trying to integrate his housing unit with the power source, tearing apart the innards of the ship only to put it back together again. The plan, poorly executed as it may have been, was to at least put the vessel on track for Earth, but the power sputtered out immediately after it was propelled in one direction. The ship didn’t lose momentum, what with it being space, but there’s no telling where they’re going, or even really where they came from. They supposedly left a planet called Titan, but Tony only knows that as being a moon of Saturn, and he’s not sure it’s the same place. Do the moons of Saturn have moons of their own? Well, if they do, Titan has one less now, since one was unceremoniously thrown at Tony.

Tony watches the darkness dotted with lights outside the window, wondering whether he’ll ever see his Pepper and Rhodey again. If he’ll ever be able to bring back Peter and Strange and whoever else was lost. He dreads to think that Stephen gave up the time stone only for him to die in a ship with a moody cyborg.

His death partner (as he’s morbidly started to call her) is sat in the seat next to him, silent and brooding. They’re going to run out of oxygen any moment now, but he suspects that won’t be a problem for her. He’s sure her lungs are less organic and more mechanical. Even so, when the ship eventually enters any planet’s atmosphere, assuming the physics are the same on that planet, the ship will burn up and crash. He’s not sure she’ll survive that. Which is a shame.

Tony takes another breath, and he chokes on it, unable to breath out again. If there’s ever a chance for last words, maybe he should try now.

“This… is it,” Tony wheezes. “It’s been nice, Nebula. If you survive, tell… Pepper I…” his vision darkens for a second, “I love her… tell Rhodey I… love him too.”

Nebula jumps up from her seat, panicked. Tony can’t figure out why. They knew this was going to happen. She knew he wouldn’t survive without air. That was something he had established the instant they knew they were running on limited resources.

“Stark,” she hisses, slapping the side of his face, “don’t sleep.”

“Can’t…” he tries to cough, but there’s no air to expel “… help it, Avatar,” he grins weakly, the dark spots parading in his vision. “I’ll… it’s…”

“We’re almost home,” Nebula promises. “Stay with me.”

Tony grins and then slumps in the chair.

Tony Stark doesn’t know anything anymore. His mind falls into a dark abyss, gently, slowly, as though it’s caressing him. It’s almost peaceful. Had it not been the thirst and the hunger pangs that followed him, it would have been like falling asleep after a particularly extensive lab binge. It’s really just the thirst that gets to him. Hunger isn’t exactly a new feeling. He’d often forget to eat while working, and it would take Pepper presenting him with a pizza for him to remember that food was a necessity.

God, he misses Pepper.

If only he’d gotten to see her one last time.

 

“Unknown aircraft is breaking Earth’s Atmosphere.”

Steve looks up from the table top, eyes brightening in panic. _Another_ spaceship?

“Hostile?”

“Uncertain,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. responds. “But it appears to have lost control. If counter-measures are not deployed in the next twelve minutes, the ship will level a small town in New York State, three miles from here.”

“Could they have been aiming for here?” he asks.

“I believe so, Captain.”

Thor and Captain Marvel look at each other, unspoken understanding passing between them both and they run out of the building. From the many windows, Steve can see them flying up into the sky. In the distance, he can see a small object. Had he not been warned just now, he’d have assumed it was a bird. But it’s not. It could be a ship with Thanos on, or it could be carrying help. And lord knows they need as much as they can get.

“Let’s see what they bring us back,” Rhodey says with a shrug. “I’ll get the suit.”

Rhodey moves towards a display case, and the suit assembles around him. The eyes light up an intimidating red, but the faceplate lifts a second later.

“Coming?”

Steve stands up follows him outside. He can hear the others behind him doing the same, and they leave the compound and step out into the darkening night. The entire team file out onto the large landing pad, staring up. The ship is closer now, and the little racoon lets out a noise of disbelief.

“They survived,” he says, his voice cracking. “Those goddamn _idiots_ survived.”

Steve doesn’t know Rocket very well, but he almost looks pleased. Despite his words, there’s heavy emotion behind them, a desperate relief. A sharp-toothed grin breaks out on his face.

“What are you talking about?” Bruce asks. “You know that ship?”

“Hell yeah, I do!” he jumps and pumps his fist into the air. “That’s _my_ ship. The Benatar!”

“Benatar?” Clint asks, head tilted to the side. “As in, Pat Benatar?”

“Who’s that?”

“Some famous singer from the eighties, I think,” Clint shrugs. “What? The ringmaster used to listen to her all the time.”

“Typical,” Rocket shakes his head, glee painted over his entire face. “Starboy loves Earth music.”

No one comments on that, watching with shock as the ship is guided onto the lawn by Captain Marvel and Thor. The landing isn’t smooth by any accounts, but Rocket doesn’t seem bothered by the damage. Thor and Carol move around the ship and watch Rocket as he runs forward, pressing a button that lowers a walkway. Before he can head inside, a blue woman steps into view in the doorway, holding up a very unconscious Tony Stark.

“You son of a bitch,” Rhodey whispers, before rushing forward.

“Nebula?”

“Rocket?”

“The team…” Rocket starts, hopefully.

The blue woman shakes her head, eyes not leaving his face. Steve’s heart _hurts_. First, Rocket lost the tree-thing (he’s sure they had a very close, familial relationship) and now his entire team? That’s going to take its toll, but Steve isn’t able to help him. What is he supposed to do? They’re all messed up now.

Rocket hangs his head and walks away, back towards the compound. Steve lets him. He needs time to process this new blow. It doesn’t stop Steve from watching the small figure walking away.

“Get your hands off him!”

Steve turns back to the blue woman.

“Listen, Lady, thanks for bringing him back, but this is my best friend you’re man-handling.”

“He needs medical attention,” Bruce stutters, moving close to Tony and checking his pulse. “He’s alive, but he’s weak.”

“Friday, tell Pepper to get out here right away.”

“Yes, Colonel.”

Rhodey and Nebula are still in a stand-off, and the shock of the last ten minutes finally wears off.

“Ma’am,” Steve says gently as he steps forward. “Tony Stark is our teammate. We’re only looking to help him. He’s safe with us.”

Finally, she relents. Rhodey, with the help of his suit, takes Tony’s weight and slowly carries him off the aircraft and lowers him to the ground. He starts shaking his shoulders, begging him to wake up, pleading with him to open his damn eyes.

“I can’t believe he made a better entrance than I did,” Clint mutters. “What the hell.”

Natasha smiles, unable to help herself. Steve feels a little lighter just because Clint can inject some ill-timed humour into a dire situation.

“Tony, you useless piece of shit, wake up.”

Steve flinches at the harsh words, but his mouth drops open when Tony’s previously prone form twitches and his eyes slowly open.

“Yeah,” Tony croaks, “good to see you too.”

Steve steps back, stunned. Tony is awake, alive, and right there in front of him. This is not the reunion he had imagined, not by a long-shot, but he’s stupidly glad that there _is_ a reunion.

Since returning to the compound almost a week ago, they’d all voiced their fear that Tony was dead. Rhodey, however, had seemed adamant that it wasn’t possible. He said ‘Tony is a lot of things, and invincible is one of them. He beats all the odds, no matter how small.’

Makes sense that Rhodey would be right. Out of everyone alive today, except maybe Sharon Carter, Rhodey has known him the longest. Since they were kids if Steve’s memory was correct.

He used to wonder why Rhodey was the only person Tony spoke to from his time at college. He’d read somewhere that the friends you make at college were people you would be friends with for life. It didn’t take long for the reason to come to light. It was Natasha who had explained the reasoning.

_‘When Tony went to college, he was fourteen. He couldn’t make friends because people were either intimidated by him or resentful of him. He doesn’t have any friends from school because he was always working years ahead of his age. I thought it might be his ego, but maybe it was a problem with the people around him and not him himself. For once.’_

“Did anyone kiss me? God, I hope no-one kissed me.”

Steve looks down at Tony, and the memory of the battle of New York appears in his mind's eye. He bites back a smile.

Rhodey offers a hand, and he slowly sits Tony upright, supporting his back, and then he’s got Tony in his arms, giving him a fierce hug. He stops only when Tony whines in pain.

“What’s wrong?” Rhodey asks, sharply. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing.”

Nebula snorts and then walks forward and lifts Tony’s shirt.

“Thanos stabbed him.”

Steve feels like being sick.

“Thanos… _stabbed you?_ ”

Maybe talking out loud and drawing attention to himself wasn’t the best course of action, because Tony turns sharply, his eyes focusing on each of them individually, taking note of the people there and the people who aren’t. Then his gaze snaps to something in the distance, and he looks like he’s going to cry.

“Pepper,” he whispers.

He tries to push himself to his feet, but groans and his hand goes to his injury. Rhodey, knowing better than to tell him not to stand up, helps Tony get to his feet, only for him to be tackled by Pepper a second later.

“ _Pepper,_ ” he sobs. “Jesus Christ, Pepper, I love you so much. I love you.”

Pepper cries into his shoulder and Tony allows his tears to fall into her hair. Steve turns away, feeling like he’s some kind of voyeur.

“Get a room,” Clint calls.

Natasha slaps him around the back of his head, but she’s smiling, and if Steve didn’t know any better, he’d say there were some tears in her eyes.

“I would,” Tony says, looking over Pepper's head and straight at Clint, “but my house seems to be infested with fugitives.”

There’s no heat in his words, and Clint grins at him, almost as easy as it was before their team fell to shit. Steve knows it’ll be harder for that ease to return to his interactions with the man, but he can’t deny he’s pleased to see how much like Tony looks like the man Steve knew before Siberia.

“The others…” Tony’s eyes roam over them. “They’re gone?”

Steve nods, and Tony nods back, something like sympathy in his eyes.

“But look, you lose some, you win some, right?” he says, indicating to Captain Marvel. “Who’s this?”

“Carol Danvers,” Captain Marvel says, holding her hand out for him to take. “Please to make your acquaintance.”

Tony doesn’t take the hand. He squints at her, and then his eyes widen in surprise, his jaw falling open in recognition.

“Holy crap, _you are_. I thought you were dead. My dad, he said you and Mar-Vell… that you went on a mission and never returned? I read the report. You were _dead._ ”

Carol smiles.

“You wouldn’t be the first to think that, and I doubt you’ll be the last.”

Tony takes her hand and shakes it roughly, amazed.

“Let’s go inside,” Rhodey suggests. “Tony’s injured.”

“You’re injured?” Pepper screeches. “How? Where? What _happened to you, Tony?!”_

Tony flinches and takes her hand, a reassuring gesture.

“I’ll explain inside, OK? It’s not a short story.”

Pepper nods reluctantly, hands hovering over his bleeding chest.

“Only if you let me patch you up while you did it,” Bruce bargains.

Tony nods his assent, and with the help of Rhodey and Pepper, he’s brought inside and sat on a sofa. Pepper takes his shirt off and grabs a pack of wet wipes and starts cleaning him off. Bruce, meanwhile, pulls a first aid kit towards him and starts to gather the things he’ll need to fix Tony up.

“So, give it to us,” Rhodey says. “What happened after you got on the spaceship?”

So, Tony launches into the story. Explains how the ugly aliens, Thanos’s children Nebula jumps in to say, took Strange because they needed the time stone. He followed, and then so did Spider-man. Pepper blanches, and then realisation weighs down on her. Steve knows why she looks so broken. Since neither of the people mentioned has returned with Tony, they can only assume they didn’t make it. And if his suspicions are correct, then Spider-man was just a kid.

“We’re then attacked by this band of misfits. Some giant dude, an insect lady and some dude from Earth.”

Rocket’s ears prick up, and he lifts his head.

“They were asking about someone called Gamora.”

“That’s my team,” Rocket tells him.

Tony grimaces in sympathy.

“Sorry, man.”

Rocket nods, and then signals for the story to continue.

Tony explains how they figured out Quill was from earth and that none of them was working for Thanos. They formed a mismatched team, and that Stephen saw the futures.

“He saw fourteen million? And we only win in one?” Steve feels sicker now if that’s possible.

“’ Fraid so, Cap. And it doesn’t get better from there, as you’ve probably guessed.”

By now, Tony’s top half is mostly clean, thanks to Pepper’s diligent work and a growing pile of wet wipes. Bruce is cleaning out the injury, and every now and then Tony’s story is punctuated with a hiss of pain, for which Bruce apologises immediately, despite how many times Tony tells him not to worry.

Tony then explains how Thanos came to Titan, and they started fighting.

“We were _so close,_ ” Tony laments, “but then Quill found out that Gamora had been murdered by the unfriendly purple dinosaur and he lost his shit. Mantis lost her hold on Thanos, and he got the gauntlet secured back on his hand again. Then the fight got a little more violent. At one point he threw a moon at me.”

Rhodey chokes, and he’s looking at Tony like the man just grew a tenth head.

“He threw a _moon at you_?”

“Yeah,” Tony grins at him, “but it didn’t do much, obviously,” he adds gesturing to his broken and scarred body. “Eventually, Thanos managed to take everyone down, and it was just me fighting him then. I went to stab him, and he twisted my arm, literally, and the blade went through me.”

“That’s not all,” Nebula speaks up. “He says he knew you. Said you were both cursed with knowledge.”

Interest is peaked, and Tony doesn’t really know what to do with that.

“I don’t know if he just knew me because I was the one who threw the bomb throw the portal, or if it’s because he knew that I saw the gathering threat that loomed from that day on. But he did wish people would remember me, which was a weird sentiment since he was about to kill me.”

“Why didn’t he?” Pepper whispers.

“Because… because Strange gave him the time stone.”

The room sucks in a breath and Tony hangs his head.

“And then he apparated or something. A little while later, everyone just… disappeared.”

 _‘Please, I don’t wanna go… I don’t wanna go… I’m sorry._ ’

Tony shivers.

“That’s when he came here, I’m assuming,” Steve says. “He ripped the stone from Visions head, and then he snapped his fingers.”

Tony looks up, mouth twisting into a grim smile that portrays no happiness.

“We’ll fix this, Steve. We all will. We’re the Avengers, not the sit-arounders.”

“Shit speech, but yeah,” Clint says, “I share the sentiment.”

“Agreed. The mad titan has taken my people and my brother. He has lots to answer for.”

“I thought Loki was already… un-alive,” Tony asks awkwardly.

“No. Apparently he was just pretending to be Odin.”

Tony shakes his head, vowing not to say anything. Despite everything, he feels sympathy for the misguided demi-god/ice-giant. And Thor will never not love his brother. No matter how many times the man dies (and Tony definitely won’t voice his suspicion that the man isn’t dead again) it takes its toll on Thor.

“Nice hair-do,” Tony says instead.

Thor’s face takes on a stormy look.

“He’s sensitive about his hair,” Bruce explains, as he finished wrapping Tony’s torso. “Try not to make any sudden movements, else you’ll rip the stitches.”

Tony nods, as though that makes sense to him, and then he looks around at the room. The people who were once his team, the people he’s been around for years, and the people he barely knows.

They might not look like much, but if there’s ever a time for Tony to be hopelessly optimistic, it’s now.

“Let’s get to Avenging then.”

“Avengers,” Steve says, standing up, “Assemble.”

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'll be seeing Endgame in sixty-five hours, and I'm stoked. I have the privilege of seeing it before most of the world, which is also dope.  
> I just wanted to write this little ficlet before it came out because I'm not going to post anything until it's released in America in case I accidentally write a spoiler. The chances are ridiculously low that I do that, but I'm an idiot sometimes and I'm not risking that at all.  
> Anyway, I hope you like this!
> 
> Kudos are like a confidence currency. Please drop one when you've finished! Thank you!


End file.
